Keepsake by Linda Barlow Page B

under
     any stress or coercion at the time. I personally handled the matter myself.”
    He sounded slightly defensive, April thought.
    “I will read you the relevant portion of the will, which says, in essence, that Madame de Sevigny has left Power Perspectives—both
     its controlling interests and all its assets—which are considerable, to her daughter, April Harrington.”
    What?
    April heard a gasp from somewhere on the “family” side of the room. She tried to control her own response, although she was
     sure everyone must have heard’ the sound of her convulsive swallow.
    “The will further provides that if said April Harrington is unable to be located, if she refuses the legacy, or if she dies
     without issue, Isobelle de Sevigny will inherit in her stead.”
    Isobelle stood, her dark eyes flashing. “So suddenly Iam second in line to the throne?” she spat out. “This is impossible. Who is this woman? She turns up out of nowhere and lays
     claim to my stepmother’s estate? It’s unbelievable. I object to this. There’s something very suspicious going on.”
    Armand touched his daughter’s arm. “Isobelle. Please. This is not the place for an outburst. Sit down.”
    “No, Papa, I won’t sit down. Rina has been murdered in front of our eyes and now this woman… this woman who may have been
     her murderer… she is the one to inherit control of Power Perspectives? I’ve been working very closely with Rina. I had understood
     that I was her heir. What is this nonsense about an alteration in her will?”
    “Isobelle.” Armand’s voice was low but the air of command in it was powerful. He gave a quick glance at Agent Clemente, who
     was watching the proceedings impassively. “That will do.”
    April sat still with her hands clasped in her lap. This is crazy, she was thinking. It made no sense at all. She couldn’t
     really blame Isobelle for protesting. If she’d been in her shoes, she’d have squawked about it, too.
    She rose unsteadily. I’ve got to get out of here, she thought. To the group at large she murmured, “You’ll have to excuse
     me for a few minutes, please.”
    April found the nearest ladies room and locked herself into a stall. She felt queasy, excited, and scared—all at the same
     time. All she could see was the expression on her mother’s face during the last few moments of her life, when she’d suddenly
     realized that she was looking once again at the face of her only child. “You ruined my life!” she had cried out to her mother,
     and Rina had reached out toward her. “April, wait,” had been her last words. Whatever she’d meant to say after that, whatever
     explanationshe might have tried to give had been blasted into silence by the murderer’s bullet.
    Now her mother, who had left her standing on a cold pier mourning the departing hulk of an ocean liner, had acknowledged her
     at last.
    In her mind’s eye she saw Blackthorn’s cold, unfriendly gaze. Great, she thought. Now he must be convinced she was guilty.

Chapter Five
    “I’m going to challenge the will.”
    “You’ll do no such thing,” Armand de Sevigny said to his daughter.
    “Don’t interfere with me, Papa,” Isobelle cried.
    The scene in the conference room after the will reading had devolved into exactly the sort of chaos, thought Rob Blackthorn,
     that murder investigators love. The family was upset, and the terms of the will had been a surprise. He couldn’t have picked
     a better time to observe them all.
    He exchanged a quick glance with Marty Clemente, whom he knew well from his former days with the FBI. Marty raised his eyebrows
     slightly in acknowledgment. Blackthorn was glad Marty was on this case, and not some young, overly idealistic, wet-behind-the-ears
     type. He might even be able to trade some information with Marty.
    “Isobelle, I strongly suggest you control your emotions before you say something you regret,” Armand said.
    His tone was scathing, and Blackthorn noted that